Instrument panels or dashboards for modern vehicles (cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, boats, etc.) are generally comprised of a series of modules integrated together to form a rather complex cockpit assembly which may be installed as a single unit into a forward portion of the vehicle occupant space. The instrument panel reinforcement structure serves as a skeleton or support based for various major components to be mounted upon, such as a steering column assembly, pedal assembly, glove box, passenger side air bag assembly, instrument cluster, entertainment/information system, heating/ventilation/air conditioning unit, radio, tape deck, CD player, clock, and telematics devices such as GPS. The “center stack” area of the vehicle instrument panel generally is where many of these components are “stacked” so that their controls are within easy reach of the driver. The center stack area may comprise a number of these components in vertical alignment in the center of the instrument panel or may comprise a center console, a separate molded structure that contains the components and extends back between the front seats of the vehicle to provide additional storage capacity as well as an area for the shifting lever.
It should be noted that all references made herein to directions such as left, right, front, rear, forward and rearward are relative to the vehicle as a whole. That is, the “front” surface of the instrument panel is toward the front end of the vehicle, and the “rear” surface is that which is directly in front of an occupant of the vehicle when the instrument panel is installed in the vehicle.
Common concerns when installing components and modules into an instrument panel in order to project a high quality of workmanship to the consumer include squeaks and rattles, gaps—especially of non-parallel lines and electrical connectivity. For these reasons, alignment and retention of components and modules is an important critera in the design, testing and evaluation of instrument panels. In addition, since some of the components are relatively heavy, retention during and after a vehicle impact must also be considered.
Currently, most components and modules are retained by fasteners such as screws, clips, etc. These devices do not allow for easy removal of the component for service and do little to ensure alignment of the component in all three planes (up-down, left-right, and fore-aft).
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,873,749 and 6,048,020 both to Yazaki Corp., disclose electrical interconnection modules and means for mounting these into openings in an instrument panel and are directed at making a solid electrical connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,572 issued to General Motors Corporation discloses a mounting assembly comprising a device, such as a radio, with opposing vertical sides, and an instrument panel including a recess having a rearward access opening and opposing spaced-apart sidewalls. Each sidewall has a dovetail rail which cooperates with tapered dovetail slide members which are fixedly mounted to the opposing sides of the device. These secure the device in the instrument panel, yet allow relatively easy removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,668 to Fujitsu Ten Limited discloses a mounting structure for a device such as a radio, which comprises a mounting tube fixed in the mounting hole of the panel. Elastic pieces having detent pawls formed at the end parts are inserted into detent holes and dislocated angularly to retain the device. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,238,417B1; 5,676,338; 5,366,186; 4,867,398 and 4,053,130 disclose means for locating devices in instrument panel openings but rely on additional components (rails, brackets, clips, etc.) to engage the device with the walls of the opening.
Each of the major components and modules assembled into the center stack of the vehicle has its own dimensional tolerances which are built into the design, materials and processes used to manufacture and assemble the component or module. Since plastic parts shrink in size upon molding and cooling, this size reduction must be factored into the design of the component to ensure a tight fit. Likewise, metal assemblies, such as a radio chassis, are composed of a series of smaller sub-components fitted together, and bring along a stacking of tolerances from each of the individual components. Matching the shrinkage of plastic parts and the stack-up of tolerances on metal assemblies to provide a predictable fit having no gaps or rattles and reliable electrical connectivity is an ongoing problem in the automotive industry.
What is needed is an instrument panel retainer incorporating molded features in the center stack area which can align and positively locate slidably engaged electronic modules and the like, in a manner which compensates for tolerance stack-up between mating, components, while yielding a pleasing appearance to the vehicle occupants, minimizing aggravating rattles during use and providing more reliable electronic connectivity.